SRAM Red Gruppo
The big news from an American point-of-view at this year’s Tour De France is that Lance Armstrong, making a highly publicized comeback, is in second place after the fifth stage. For us Chicagoans, there’s a small point of pride in this—Armstrong is riding with SRAM components on his Trek frame—SRAM’s Red gruppo, in fact. SRAM, I found out recently, was founded in Chicago in 1987 with just six employees—now, it is a multinational with factories in Mexico and Asia, but the HQ in Chicago still employs more than 100. After four stages, all of the five top riders on the tour were riding SRAM Red (Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank, Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana, Alberto Contador (Spa) Astana, Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana and Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana. A SRAM Red component group is known for its lightness—it weighs significantly less than Campagnolo Record or Shimano Dura Ace—which were previously the professional standards. The cycling community has given it high-marks for ergonomics even as it has choked at its price. It retails for a little over $2,000 with a few details, such as the actual bicycle frame, saddle, etc. not included.
But there’s more to the story. Armstrong made a “meaningful passive investment” with Lehman Brothers Merchant Bank, said to be in the millions, in SRAM as Cycling News reported in September 2008. That, as a member of Astana, Armstrong ended up riding SRAM seems to be more of a happy accident than anything—he was still riding Shimano when the deal was brokered. But whether he hangs tough in this year’s tour or not, it’s quite likely that this year’s winner will be riding SRAM and reminding cyclists worldwide that good things come from a city that works—and rides.
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